The Zoologist — July, 1874. 4075 



A Flight of Bats.— On the 23rd of May, while walking with a friend, 

 ahout 5 p. M., we noticed a flight of twenty-seven large bats steadily flying 

 in a north-easterly direction. Is not this unusual? Neither my friend nor 

 myself have ever before witnessed a similar occurrence. — Arthur J. Clark- 

 Kennedy ; Little Glemham, Suffolk. 



Habitat of " Rat-Bats " ? — I happened a few evenings ago to come upon 

 a habitat of bats. Their home is a deserted woodpecker's hole, from which 

 such a twittering and squeaking proceeded that it induced me to stay and 

 watch their departure. Just as dusk was setting in the noise ceased, and 

 out flew, as quickly as I could count, no less than sixty-three large bats, 

 commonly called the " rat-bat," I believe. A few evenings afterwards I 

 counted sixty-nine from the same hole — all the lai'ge-sized bat, and evidently 

 one species only. — George W. P. Moor ; Great Bealings, Woodhridge. 



Complaint in Nestling Birds.— A pair of greenfinches built their nest in 

 the garden this year, and soon after the eggs had been hatched a small 

 white bladder appeared on the neck of one of the young birds. This bladder 

 increased, and in three days the bird was dead. The remaining young ones 

 also died, being affected with similar bladders about the same place, low 

 down on the right side of the neck, just where it joins the body. Can any 

 of your readers kindly inform me what this disease was, and what engendered 

 it? I believe there is a complaint among birds, akin to this, called 

 "tympany." — Arthur J. Clark-Kennedy. 



Variation in the Song of the Blackcap Warbler. — I have given pretty 

 much attention to the songs and notes of our birds, and summer visitors 

 particularly, and have never been more deceived than in the last two 

 mornings by an entire difference in the song of a blackcap from any I have 

 ever listened to. My sight not being very keen, I asked Mr. Vingoe, who 

 has given a great deal of attention to our songsters, to accompany me this 

 morning, which he did, and had a, full opportunity of listening to the 

 monotonous passages uttered, and which entirely took him by surprise, 

 until he got a full view of the blackcap in a low tree, with the black head 

 quite clear. The song of the bird was uttered with two or three introductory 

 sweet notes, and went at once, and sometimes without any introduction, to 

 the leading theme of the song, resembling the words, " tiow wee," " tiow 

 wee," " tiow wee," uttered distinctly, and sometimes repeated four times, 

 but generally three ; each passage was the same, with scarcely any variation, 

 and very short ; the quality of the notes full and sweet, like the usual song- 

 note of this bird, but the melody and performance of the song totally different 

 from and without any of the dehcate expression of the blackcap's usual song. 

 At a little distance off, where the quality of the notes was lost, the expression 

 of the passage put one in mind of a titmouse " see-sawing." This may be 



